Grant Opportunity: The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) is providing grants to support public lands that have seen an increase in use with the advent of COVID-19. People have been flocking to parks and other outdoor spaces as places to exercise and rejuvenate in response to social distancing guidelines. At the same time, these spaces are experiencing acute financial challenges as revenue shrinks. NEEF is interested in projects in the following areas:

• Conservation projects: Projects in this category should aim to help to protect biodiversity, wildlife, wild places, or endangered species and can include activities like tree planting, invasive species removal, data collection, and/or environmental monitoring.
• Accessibility projects: Projects can focus on increasing access to public lands via the built environment such as trails, boat ramps, and other public access points, along with inclusive programming that breaks down social barriers to access.
• Maintenance projects: Maintenance projects restore or enhance park infrastructure including basic facilities (e.g., buildings, fences) and physical amenities (e.g., restrooms, picnic tables) utilized on the public land space.
• Cultural & Historical Preservation projects: Projects preserving public land sites that hold historic and/or cultural value including a wide range of activities from brick-and-mortar rehabilitation to neighborhood surveys and documentation efforts.

Applications should outline the impact increased use of the outdoor space has on the public land site (postponement of other projects such as planting native species, removing invasive species etc., increased litter, wear and tear on trails) and plans for the implementation of projects to address these issues.

Eligibility: Organizations registered as 501(c)(3) nonprofits, state or federal agencies. Federally recognized tribes, local/ municipal governments, and educational institutions.

Grant Amount: Grant requests can be up to $2,500 for a period of six (6) months

Important Dates: Applications are available beginning November 2, 2020 and will be accepted on a rolling basis.

               Due Date: December 1, 2020 (for awards in January 2021)

               Due Date: February 1, 2021 (for awards in March 2021)

               Due Date: April 1, 2021 (for awards in May 2021)

For more information: Click here to read the full RFP and learn about application procedures

Brockport Research Institute provides grant-writing, evaluation, project management, and professional learning services. For questions or more information, please call the office (585) 431- 3416 or contact us: info@BrockportResearchInstitute.com.